I. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to basic polynucleate aluminum hydroxy silicate sulfate (PASS) compounds and to a process for their preparation.
II. Description of the Prior Art
These compounds act as flocculants, coagulating agents, precipitating agents, dewatering agents and clarifiers useful in industries such as water treatment, pulp and paper, or wherever an aluminum hydroxide gel system resulting from such polymeric compounds can be employed.
Compounds of this type, processes for their production, and specific uses are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,981,675, issued on Jan. 1, 1991, U.S. Pat. No. 5,069,893 issued on Dec. 3, 1991 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,149,400 issued on Sep. 22, 1992 (from patent application Ser. No. 07/601,374 filed Oct. 23, 1990), all assigned to the same assignee as the present application. The disclosures of these patents are specifically incorporated herein by reference.
While these compounds and processes are effective and useful, there is still room for improvement both in the form in which the compounds are prepared and in their processes of preparation.